Mon 25 Jun and Tue 26 Jun

Monday we decided to spend the day in Cala Caragon. In the absence of decent cellular coverage the morning consisted of messing around with the GoPro – oh the joys of unemployment 😉 We’d been trying to feed a seagull but the fish kept beating him to the bread, which left him looking rather confused and empty beaked. We wondered what was going on under the water so we bungeed the GoPro to the boathook, lowered it into the water, chucked in some bread and watched. Within nano seconds the fish were shooting up to the surface grabbing mouthfuls of bread. Speedy little buggers! Have a look at the video. In the afternoon we took a walk along the rocky shoreline; it was absolutely baking hot, and deserted.

On Tuesday morning we checked the wind, which still looked good for a trip back to Barcelona on Saturday. It’s a few days earlier than we’d planned but we’d prefer to sail rather than motor so we’re letting the wind dictate our schedule. This meant we had until Friday to make it around the rest of the island so we opted to make a start today and head to Palma. We had a lovely downwind sail with the big gennaker out, and thankfully avoided all the mistakes we made last time.

We went to anchor just outside Calanova, which is supposed to be one of the most expensive marina’s in the Med. The reviews also spoke of “topless gyrating girls” so Tom insisted we pay a visit. We found a spot to anchor but try as we might, the anchor wouldn’t set and every time we tried to dig it in we dragged. We could see another bay so headed around there to see if we’d have more luck. We arrived in Palma Nova, set anchor but dragged again. By now though the wind had dropped, and there was loads of space so we decided to stay put and just let out more chain. Looks like those around us opted for the same strategy.

Palma Nova is another seaside resort where the Brits have well and truly taken over, and I guess if you’re someone who wants a home-away-from-home with some added sun then it’s ideal. The twin beaches with their side-by-side hotels, and restaurants adorned with huge photos of the food they serve made for a dramatic change of scenery to our deserted anchorage of last night. Still, variety is the spice of life so we decided to embrace it and head into town!

Being on a budget we had to show some restraint and avoid making our usual bee-line for the best looking restaurant we could find. Instead we opted for one with live music! The woman and her partner, who looked more like a darts player and who did an awesome Barry White, did a sterling job of covering the best karaoke tunes the restaurants budget could afford.